Gotta Dance?

So, who knew? Jake likes the dancing dogs?

Kate and Gin are definitely darlings on Britain's Got Talent. Frankly, I'm crazy about them, too. It's fascinating how they work together. These two best friends wowed the audience and the judges, but it's worth noting that no one seemed familiar with what has become a very popular dog sport known as "musical canine freestyle" or simply "freestyle."

This lack of familiarity with the sport made Gin's performance even more dramatic because she wildly exceeded everyone's expectations. Simon Cowell was exclaiming "OMG!!" repetitively to seeing Gin rear up and walk backwards. Put another way, they had no expectations of the dog before she began the act, so the impact of her fine performance was intensified. Kudos to Kate, because she chose great music and developed a dynamic choreography. Kudos to Gin for executing the commands brilliantly.

Still, freestyling is really more popular than many of us might expect. There are many associations dedicated to it in the US and around the world, including the Musical Dog Sport Association, the Canine Freestyle Federation, Inc. ; World Canine Freestyle Organization; and Pawfect K9 Freestyle Club (Japan).

While Gin's performance would be admired by all, I would also think that many people in the sport might not be as surprised by its strengths as were the audience and the judges.

I can't help but wonder about all the folks working with freestyle. Jake is a very smart dog. I spend lots of time with him, having fun and training him. I look at Gin's performance and wonder, how much time do Kate and Gin spend together on training? Probably much more than one can imagine. It looks like it might be a full time occupation – along the lines of an Olympic training schedule. I sure hope it is fun for Kate because one might fear that she wouldn’t have any time for human friends. Indeed, if I followed her quote correctly on the program, “if it weren't for Gin, I wouldn't have much of a life.”

In parting, let's compare Kate's perfect choreography for the James Bond theme with that of a "Gladiator Dog." You know, there really is a difference between men and women…have fun watching this: